4D TECHNOLOGY – 4D SCAN

ULTRASOUND SAFETY

Ultrasound is the only radiological imaging modality that is completely safe to use during pregnancy. Other modalities such as X-rays and CT Scans use ionizing radiation that can alter the normal physiology in our body’s cells. As it can have an effect on cell division, it should be avoided before 12 weeks and only used in extreme cases under the guidance of your radiographer after 12 weeks.

Ultrasound is sound waves outside the human audible range. The transmitter reads the speed and time of pulses returning from the tissue in the womb. This information can be interpreted by the software of the ultrasound machine. This image is used to give us important diagnostic information and 3D images and 4D video clips that could show you a clear image of your baby.

3D Ultrasound is a medical ultrasound technique, often used during pregnancy, providing three-dimensional images of your fetus.

4D Ultrasound is similar to 3D ultrasound images except that movements can be viewed and recorded!

Below are pictures gathered from different scanning sources:

2D SCAN

2D is mainly used for diagnostic purposes. With each 4D Scan session, a level 3 diagnostic scan will be done to determine possible abnormalities. 2D Scans are the black and white image you are used to seeing. This is a grayscale image of your baby produced by sound waves. The 2D image is very important as we do most of the diagnostic imaging on the 2D. We also need to do a 2D image before we can switch to 3D or 4D. The quality of our 2D image influences our 3D/4D image.

3D SCAN

This is the yellow-brown image that took the world by storm. The image of the baby’s face has improved in the last 12 years. The pixels are smaller and we are creating smoother imaging. The role of 3D has changed from a nice-to-have to a diagnostic tool. The 3D is a still image of the fetus.

4D SCAN

The movement of 3D. Time was added to 3D so we could see the baby moving in real-time, thus 4D. The 4D image also improved with time as we try to get as close as possible to real-time movement. We hope your baby is cooperating so we might show you a yawn, swallowing of fluid or opening of the eyes.